Author Archives: Sylvia Masich

The BCHL to only play in-conference games for the rest of the season

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For the third season in a row, the BCHL (BC Hockey League) has had to change their schedule.

During the 2019-2020 hockey season, the season was cut short because of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the season was able to happen, but teams were put into small bubbles and played without fans and didn’t play the majority of the league. And this year, all out of conference games have been rescheduled to be played in-conference because of the ongoing floods and road closures across the province.

The league consists of two conferences, interior and coastal, and each conference has 9 teams each. 17 of the teams are Canadian, and one team is from Washington (Wenatchee Wild).

 

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(Elite Prospects)

The teams along the left side of the picture are in the Coastal Conference and the teams on the right (including the Wenatchee Wild) are in the Interior Conference.

Prince George Spruce Kings Communication Director and Play by Play Director Cole Waldie said the times are unprecedented but is thankful that the boys are still going to have a complete seasons, even though it is unknown where exactly they are going to play.

“So the league is starting a process, you know, throughout these next couple of weeks, to try and get the games rescheduled in conference. So we’re still gonna play our full 54 games season, or thing for the kids to, to get out. But it just going to be a bit of a different schedule. We’re not exactly sure sure who we’re going to play at the New Year.”

While playing teams only in conference isn’t ideal, it is much better than playing in a bubble of three teams for the entire season without any fans, like what happened last season. This season, most teams had already faced off against each other before the rescheduling started.

There isn’t too much concern for not playing against the out of conference teams throughout the rest of the season before playoffs, because the only time a match up would occur between two teams from different conference in playoffs would be in the final round.

And as for the players on how they’re feeling about the changes to the schedule, this is what Waldie had to say:

“I’m not sure if they’re incredibly affected by it. I think the only difference is that, you know, maybe a team that you think are winnable points out of conference, but you know what, we’re playing all these teams in conference so far. So why not just keep playing them? So I don’t think they’re very affected by it. I think they’re just gonna go about their business and keep on moving forward.”

To stay up to date to changes in the BCHL, make sure to check out their website.

Spotify Wrapped is here!

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It is the most wonderful time of the year for music lovers and streamers. Spotify Wrapped is here!

https://twitter.com/Spotify/status/1466059763851173891?s=20

The highly anticipated music data release for Spotify users tracks listening habits from the beginning of the year to about the end of October and then compiles all the stats into a little customized video for each user. The video shares the top songs, artists, genres, podcasts, and how many minutes the user spent listening to Spotify.

Everyone knows when Wrapped arrives because almost everyone shares their music stats with friends and social media followers.

For Spotify listeners, it is always exciting seeing who topped their lists (for some, it is no surprise), but for artists, it is also extremely exciting to see their work on people’s Wrapped. Bass player for Vancouver-based band Hotel Mira, Mike Noble, he said it is sort of a imposter-syndrome seeing the band reach the top of some Spotify Wrapped.

“It’s always incredibly like, like a combination of just like the coolest thing ever, but also like it’s insanely humbling and like fully like an imposter syndrome sort of thing.”

Hotel Mira had almost 4 millions streams this year, with over half a million listeners from across the world. Those numbers pleased and shocked Noble because the band hasn’t released anything in almost two years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8o0pFvHaL/

But artists don’t use the data from Spotify to see how well their music did throughout the year; they also use it to plan tours and what songs they are going to play in each city.

Artists have access to data that gives them even more insider information, like what cities they’re getting streamed in the most, and what cities their music is most popular in.

“We actually get to see all the backend data of like what songs are being listened to, and what cities and stuff like that. And like, we know …  for routing tours, we can look at our top cities and be like, Okay, we need to hit these places”

So while the data Spotify releases for users every year is fun to see and have, it is also incredibly beneficial for artists.

But if there was one thing that Noble could change about Spotify Wrapped, it would be to be able to separate his work from his personal account. This was the first year for Noble where Hotel Mira wasn’t in his top 5 most listened to songs/artists.

Noble often creates the setlists and does that by making playlists to see if the songs flow well together. And there is the odd time he might forget how to play a song so listens to it on Spotify. So clearly, he’s listening to his own music a lot for work purposes and not necessarily just for the fun of it.

Spotify Wrapped stats start tracking for 2022 on January 1st. Happy streaming!

The Green Party has announced who their new interim leader is – and they are making history

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The moment Amita Kuttner was announced as the new interim leader for the Green Party of Canada, they were already making history.

Kuttner is also non-binary and uses they/them and he/him pronouns.

After it was revealed that there was serious sexism and racism within the Green Party after former leader Annamie Paul stepped down, Green Party members and supporters are hopeful that Kuttner will be able to unify the party.

“I am hoping and I’m pretty optimistic that Amita will help kind of unify the party and help the party with a lot of reflection and talking about what’s happened not just glossing over it, but discussing how we can become a better party, we can become more inclusive, we can, you know, really grow as a party, and not, have what happened with Annamie Paul happen again, because that wasn’t acceptable.” -Mackenzie Kerr, Green Party Member

Mackenzie Kerr, who ran in the 2019 Federal Election for the Green Party in Cariboo-Prince George is also really excited about having more diversity in politics, especially with the fact that Kuttner is the first person of East Asian descent, first transgender, and youngest political leader in Canada.

“The more that your politicians look like you and can represent the public, and are not just the same group of older white, straight males, which is typically what politicians are right now, the more we can diversify our leadership, the more people will be interested in politics want to run for office, feel like they can approach our politicians.”

In the 2015 and 2019 federal elections, white men made up for more than 50% of the elected MPs parliament and also on average received over 10% more funding than anyone else.

“They’re breaking glass ceilings by, you know, being themselves, because that’s just not what you see, usually in politics. And so I’m really, really grateful and hope that the party can give them as much support as possible.”

After the devastating floods and mudslides that occurred across BC, the discussion of climate change has once again become a serious discussion in Parliament. Kuttner has a tragic connection to the devastating effects of climate change.

In 2005, Kuttner’s mom was killed when a mudslide came down Mount Seymour and crashed into their family’s home.

Kerr hopes that with this connection to the impacts climate change has, Amita will able to help push for more climate change policy in Parliament.

“I’m really hoping that people will see their story and see how it can truly impact day to day lives. And that climate change is not something that’s just in the future, that’s going to affect us, but it’s affecting us right now. I think having politicians or leaders of parties, and people interested in politics that have a personal connection, I think can really help build policy that can actually be helpful. And that is not just built on theoretical, but built on real life stories that affects people every day.”

But it is clear already that Amita Kuttner is trailblazer for Canadian politics and they have only just begun.

93.7 JR Country’s Basics for Babies is back

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After not having an in person fundraising event for almost two year, 93.7 JR Country’s Basics For Babies is back once again.

After realizing that there was a chronic shortage of baby items in Lower Mainland food banks, 93.7 JR Country started Basics for Babies in 1994, and since then, over 2 millions dollars and hundreds of thousands of baby food, formula, diapers, clothes, and many other items have been raised for local food banks.

JR will be having their fundraising event on December 15th in the Langley Events Centre parking lot from 8AM to 6PM. It will be a drive thru event with physical distance taking place, masks being worn, and of course, hand sanitizer available.

“But basically what will happen is people will bring their donations up to our tent, we’ll have a few tents set up, we’ll have our team out there. And you can just pop your trunk or open your side door and our team will reach into your vehicle and collect the donations and keep them keep them under our tent, and you can just drive away and we’ll have music playing.” -Kelly Holmes, Promotions Director – 93.7 JR Country

As to what to bring, they are really encouraging people to bring diapers, especially for newborns, and food formula. They are encouraging people to not bring blankets or clothing because the event is focused on feeding the hungry babies, but will take the donation and make sure it ends up in the right spot.

Last year, the fundraising event was held virtually, but in a week, they were able to raise over $16,000 dollars. That total has become their goal for the day this year. Holmes admits it is a little lofty but is hoping that having the option of in-person and online donations will help them reach that goal.

And now after the devastating flooding that occured throughout the province, food banks are in high demand for product, which includes items for babies.

“We’re just hoping that yeah, people will think of Basics for Babies when the time comes, and especially, you know, with the floods and everything to you know, there’s families that have babies, so I mean, they’re going to need some of these resources, as well. So it’s a way you can help contribute to the floods as well through basics for babies.”

To make an online donation on December 15ht, click here.

 

Black Friday does more damage to the environment than you think

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone once again, but the negative impacts that they have on the environment are going to be forever.

The overconsumption of items is a huge problem in society and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon.

In 2020 alone, over 429,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases were released in the UK alone on Black Friday according to Money.co.uk.

But it doesn’t end there. Black Friday was the most polluting holiday to date last year according to EcoCart. In total, consumers spent over 9 billion dollars in online shopping for Black Friday, up more than 20 percent the year before. And those stats don’t include how many money was spent for Black Friday for in person shopping.

“There’s a lot of person purchasing online. So there’s a large carbon footprint, moving items around the country.” -Terri McClymont, REAPS

Often times, people buy things they don’t need on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and eventually throw the item out which they rarely used, adding unnecessary items to the landfill, and wasting Earth’s resources that were used to make the item and transport it to its final destination.

However, there are ways that you can take advantage of Black Friday deals and not take part in overconsumption and be environmentally conscious. Terri McClymont from REAPS (Recycling and Environmental Action Planning Society) explains:

“Look to see what you actually do need and buy accordingly. If you if there’s items that you know that you’re going to be running out of wait until Black Friday and take advantage of the reduced sales and consciously think about what you’re choosing whether it’s good quality or not.”

On the brightside, there are some retailers who used the profits they earned from Black Friday and donated them to organizations to protect the environment. Outdoor clothing company Patagonia is donating over 10 million dollars of Black Friday profit to protect the environment.

I somehow avoided the MCU for 13 years until now…

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Disclaimer: I am not a movie person. I watch the same 5 movies over and over again (10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, She’s The Man, and A Cinderella Story), and it doesn’t bother me that I’m missing out on a large, vaste, variety of movies. So what I am about to share with you is a big deal. Thank you. 

Disclaimer 2: There will be spoilers. You have been warned. 

It all started with a text message from my friend and classmate Will saying “Are you free at all tomorrow to show me how a radio station works?👉👈” on November 6th.

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I was at a concert and he was at the movies, watching Eternals. I only knew that was a Marvel movie because Harry Styles is in it and I’d seen a post where 3 of Taylor Swift’s exes are now in the MCU. But other than that, my knowledge of the MCU was extremely limited. I knew who some of the Avengers were, I knew *some* movie titles, and I’ve seen like three MCU movies. But that’s it. I was absolutely clueless to the rest. I still sort of am. But it’s not as bad as it was three weeks ago.

And Will took advantage of that.

 

Yikes. That sounds weird.

What I mean is that he has always wanted to watch the series with someone who hasn’t watched the movies before and get to experience watching through them.

Yikes. That also sounds weird. Anyways, you get the point.

So after screaming LANY’s lyrics the night before, and then giving Will the rundown of the radio station on the Saturday, we got Chipotle (my first time ever, very delicious), and went to his place and started watching Marvel.  

We’re obviously doing it in release order, to get the full experience, so we started with Iron Man.

I loved it. I was hooked.

We then watched Hulk.

Again, I loved it. Which apparently was a good sign because not many people like the Hulk, so knowing that I enjoyed it, was a good sign for the direction of this movie marathon.

At this point, more people started getting involved. A bunch of Will’s roommates started to join us, and our friend Bailey joined in too.

We wrapped the day up with Iron Man 2. Again, I loved it.

And everyone loved watching and hearing my reaction. Or hearing me try and guess what was going to happen next.

The following day, we watch Thor and Captain America. Again, I loved Captain America and to be honest, I don’t care much for Thor.

Going back to the reaction thing, when Bucky flew off the train, Will looked at me kind of strangely and said:

“You didn’t have a reaction. When someone sort of important dies you have an audible reaction.”

Me: ‘Wait what??? I zoned out.”

*rewinds 20 seconds, Bucky flies off the train*

Me: gasps

And that happens often. I either make notible sounds OR I am too shocked to speak. Happened when we watched Thor: Ragnarok and Hulk walked into the stadium. I could have had a swarm of flies enter my mouth, my jaw dropped so much.

Once a movie ends, I had to close my eyes so I couldn’t see what movie was coming up next. I was oblivious to everything when we started, and they’re keeping me oblivious all the way through.

Seriously. They won’t tell me anything. If they want to talk about the next movie or ask a question that refers to something we haven’t seen yet, they look at me and say:

“Sylvia cover your ears”

Which I do, proceed to say “la la la la la la la la” a bunch of times and completely miss what they had to say and nothing gets ruined.

OR when we were at Trivia one time, the “Guess the Movie” round was all MCU movies. I wasn’t allowed to look at the screen at all.

Jeez. It sounds kind of bad that “I’m not allowed” to see/hear things. Trust me, it’s all mutual for the surprises. It’s been super fun being absolutely clueless to everything and then getting thrown for a loop as unexpected twists and turns happen throughout the movies.

And I’ve held up my end of the promise on that. Surprisingly, I have had NO interest in looking up what movie we are going to watch next. Or what might happen to a certain character in a future movie. I have absolutely no interest in doing that, which is shocking because I ruin series and books for myself ALL THE TIME. I often say “curiosity killed the cat, and it will also kill Sylvia.” Hopefully it won’t actually but the number of surprises I’ve ruined for myself is a little ridiculous.

Sidenote: This actually helped me not spoil a book I recently read. I had no interest in reading ahead. Go me. It’s nice having things as a surprise!

So, since starting the MCU marathon, we have watched 17 movies. 16 of them being the first time for me ever. (I had seen Spiderman: Homecoming before). I promise I am also getting school work done. (It might involve me finishing assignments in the middle of trivia night at Personas but it’s getting done!)

Which one’s are my favourite?

Well, I’ve liked all of them. Some more than others, but I would say my top 5 would be (in no particular order) both Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok, Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now these are subject to change within days. According to Will and the guys in his dorm, the best is yet to come.

And I’m excited.

My favourite characters are easily Groot and Rocket. Out of the entire MCU, those are my favourites. Rocket says something and I giggle like a 5 year old, and I just love Groot.

I thought we were going to get through all 23 movies in like 2 weeks, which didn’t happen. I have had to put off watching the movies a couple of times due to school, which has annoyed the other movie watchers. Just recently we had a six day gap between movies because Trivia Night, going out, work, homework, and preparing for interviews and events took precedence, which annoyed a lot of the movie watchers, to the point where Gunnar, one of Will’s roommates, was saying that they should just watch the next movie without me, which was a big no, because, no to sound conceited, this movie marathon is for me, not them.

But good news! We are back on track to watching the movies again, and we will definitely be on track to watch the new Spider-Man that’s coming out in mid-December, which I am not allowed to watch the trailer for.

When we were watching the opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2, I said I would be Groot dancing around as the world is falling apart around me. I thought it was funny.

Gunnar followed up with:

“That’s us in the background as we’re waiting for you to watch Marvel”

That was even funnier. Everyone laughed. Here’s the opening scene for reference.

This movie marathon has so far been tons of fun. The films are out of this world, the sound tracks are incredible, and the company for watching them have been great.

If you have the chance to watch the MCU with someone who hasn’t seen them before, take it. It is worth it.

If you want to hear/read more about my adventure through Marvel, follow me on Twitter.

But I gotta go. Black Panther is up next. (I guessed the movie, no one spoiled it for me. Don’t worry!)

 

 

 

 

 

The hype of Red (Taylor’s Version), written by a Swiftie

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I can just see my friends rolling their eyes at this one. Shocker. Sylvia is talking about Taylor Swift. Again.

You know, it’s not my fault that she’s my favourite artist… Okay maybe it is. Oops.

So, you would have to be living under a rock if you didn’t know that Taylor Swift has released her re-recorded version of her 4th studio album, Red. That, or you’re not following me on Twitter.

Anyways, yeah she’s re-recording her 5 first albums so that she can own the masters to them because long story short, her old label wouldn’t sell them to her, and then Scooter Braun bought the label, and then sold her masters to Shamrock Holdings, all behind her back.

Craziness, right?

This video explains it much better:

So, because she doesn’t own the masters to her first 5 albums, she’s doing the boss move of re-recording all of them.

The albums that are getting re-recorded are:

Taylor Swift (2006)

Fearless (2008)

Speak Now (2010)

Red (2012)

1989 (2014)

reputation (2017)

Of those 5 albums, 2 have already been re-recorded. Fearless and Red.

But Sylvia. How am I supposed to tell the difference between the old version and the new version?

Two words in parentheses – (Taylor’s Version). That is followed after every single title and song track, so that people know that they are listening to the right version. Titles get fun when there’s a featured artist, or a Vault track…

Sidenote: It is important to note that three of her albums do not have (Taylor’s Version), but she already owns them. Those are Lover (2019), folklore (2020), and evermore (2020).

Okay anyways back on track. She’s re-recording her old albums, adding songs that she originally wanted to to put on the original albums (called Vault songs), but couldn’t, and making Swifties go absolutely crazy trying to figure out which album is next. It’s like a full time job being a Taylor Swift fan.

The first album to be re-recorded was Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and it was perfection. I really really enjoyed it. Her vocals have matured so much, it sounded amazing.

Uh yeah I also drank a lot of wine while listening to the album. Great vibe. 13/10.

The most recent album she re-recorded was Red (Taylor’s Version). 

Now here’s the thing…

She announced that Red (Taylor’s Version) was going to be the next album on June 18th, 2021. 22 weeks before its release date (it was supposed to be released on November 19th and then was moved to a week earlier). It was also Scooter’s birthday that day. Hilarious.

The album was going to have the 20 original songs that were on the album, and then 10 songs that didn’t make the album, including the 10 minute version of her song All Too Well that fans have been desperately wanting since she mentioned it in 2012.

Anyways. You would think that in those 21 weeks, a single would be released.

Ha. Hilarious. Nope. Not a single single. Seriously.

Do you know how many times I woke up on a Thursday and checked Twitter for an announcement? Every. Single. One.

Instead, we got a Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) from 1989. LIke please make it make sense.

Sidenote: It actually makes total sense why we got that song – her old version was trending on TikTok so she released her version for people to use instead. Genius move, but now can she do that with Enchanted because that is also trending.

Okay so for 21 weeks, we anxiously waited for a single, to not get one. We got small little clips of songs, but that was it. Look, I’m an impatient person. I NEEDED a single from Red (Taylor’s Version). I was listening to the 2012 version of the album all summer long because so much was changing in my life and I was literally happy, free, confused, and lonely all at the same time. (Read this article for more)

https://twitter.com/sylviamasich/status/1438633512089776129?s=20

But we didn’t get anything until the album dropped.

So for months, there had been this build up around the album. People were getting excited, and we all knew we were finally going to get to listen to the 10 Minute Version of All Too Well. And there was a theory that we were also getting a music video for the song too…

Spoiler, we did.

And then the album came out and it took the world by storm.

People were going crazy for it, especially for the 10 minute long song.

I was tapping through my Instagram stories during the night and every other one was about Taylor Swift. It was nuts. But also really cool seeing all these people excited for this album. On TikTok, people who aren’t fans were talking about her new album. Everyone was excited.

The album, which remember, is a re-record, has smashed records, including the longest song to hit number one one the Billboard Hot 100, dethroning Don McLean’s American Pie. 

So… what’s the hype?

Personally, I think with the addition of the (From the Vault) tracks, we got a better understanding of the album. When she originally released the album in 2012, many people didn’t understand the album, and thought it was incoherent with the mix of pop and country. Even fans were confused as to why she had one of her most heartbreaking songs (All Too Well) followed up by the most upbeat and exiting song on the album, 22.

A lot of this album is about her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2010. It was a short affair, but you can clearly tell it left Taylor heartbroken when they broke up.

And the scarf. That darn scarf she left at Jake Gyllenhaal’s sister’s house and never got back and then he didn’t show up to her 21st birthday and then they broke up.

A lot of people got invested in the scarf. Before the album was released, and then is got even more intense after the short film she released. People who aren’t even fans of Taylor jumped on the bandwagon of “Jake, give Taylor her scarf back.”

@aliyahatespapayas

#taylorswift

♬ All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift

With the 10 minute version of All Too Well, we also understood why that song was followed up by 22 in 2012. Her 21st birthday was a bust because Jake never showed up, so she made 22 her best one yet, to make up for the year before.

So, I think with having not released a single for the album, TikTok and other social media platforms, and people getting more excited for Taylor’s re-recordings, Red (Taylor’s Version), had an easy road to success.

Also, so many brands and celebrities got on board for Red (Taylor’s Version)’s release which definitely helped it’s success. Starbucks even has “Tay’s Drink” available for fans. And yes, I of course got it.

https://twitter.com/Starbucks/status/1459144932577456134

So with all of these companies, sports teams, and celebrities joining in on the release, people obviously got curious as to what was happening, and just contributed to the hype that was surrounding the album. And of course the success.

In early 2020, Taylor thought that she was at the end of the height of her career. But clearly, she is still going up. With this success of Red (Taylor’s Version), I think her following re-recordings are going to be even bigger than before and continue to break records.

I also think Speak Now will be the next re-recording, so I’m telling you this now, there is going to be A LOT of John Mayer slander.

https://www.tiktok.com/@proudmanhater/video/6943390263939304709?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id6895229449009268230

If you haven’t listened to Red (Taylor’s Version), I definitely recommend you do. And grab tissues.

 

 

 

 

 

Small city girl living in the big city

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I’m Prince George born and raised, and I freaking love my hometown. So naturally, when I moved down to Vancouver in September, I was terrified about literally everything. Except the raccoons. I was excited to see the raccoons.

https://twitter.com/sylviamasich/status/1428863347148001286?s=20

Now, I’m not one of those people who hasn’t left BC before. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life away from home. I travelled a lot with my family, I lived in Germany for a few months when I was 16, moved out of my parents’ house for the majority of 2021… So why was I SO scared to leave my hometown?

Well first, I love Prince George. A lot of people look at me strangely when I say that, but the wilderness, landscape, people, and sunsets just make it a great place to call home.

Second, a little backstory about me. My family is really well known in PG. Like they renamed the stadium after my grandpa to honour all of the things he’s down for the city well known. And then I was the CKPG FunChaser for two years with Pattison Media, so like everyone got to know me and I got to know everyone?

And then poof. I was gone. I was no longer in my hometown. I headed south on HWY 97 and didn’t look back.

So having to say goodbye to EVERYONE was tough. And entering the big city was terrifying. Prince George is comfortable. From my parents’ house, I can get to Superstore and Costco in 3 minutes, downtown in 7, my friends’ houses in 5, and the rink in 10. Everything is just at the edge of my fingertips. And it doesn’t rain cats and dogs all the damn time.

Really tough.

But man Vancouver, you were better than I expected. Except the weather. That sucks.

Serious question. How do people survive with all of the train? Please help a girl out, it is slowly killing me.

When people ask me how I like it down here, I tell them I love it (which is true, why would I lie). It’s so much better than I expected and the transit down here is amazing.

That is usually followed by a funny look because most people who ask me who I like it down here don’t use transit, so THEY don’t even understand how mind blowingly good their transit system is.

Seriously. It is so good. I am so glad I did not bring my car down here.

For example. If I wanted to get somewhere from BCIT, a bus comes by like every 6 minutes that’ll lead me to a Skytrain system and the Skytrain just takes me anywhere. And comes every 2 minutes. It is truly the best of both worlds.

The busses back home usually run every hour, are usually late, and will sometimes completely miss your street and make you late for school. Not like that happened to me once in grade 8…

And we don’t have a Skytrain…

Also. I’m able to transit out to the Valley and back in a day. If I wanted to bus from Prince George to Vanderhoof and back, I would leave on the Monday, and wouldn’t be able to get back until Friday via bus. Ridiculous, right? I know. That’s why I have to tell everyone how great transit it down here.

And I only know this because my roommate and I went to Rocko’s Diner in Mission and took transit the whole way there.

Even though I was completely terrified to come down here, I told myself you need to embrace it all and take it all in. Don’t be scared to try something new, and say yes to as many opportunities as you can, because that is how you’re going to make amazing memories and new friends. Other people also told me to do that so that they could relive their youth and time at BCIT through me. Totally not strange at all…

But, that is exactly what I have been doing.

The nice thing is that I live on campus, so I have made countless friends with other people living on campus, and with my classmates who are on campus.

And we have done A LOT.

We have gone to the Rec Room numerous times, I’ve gone to 4 BC Lions games (they only won once :/), a Canucks game, and numerous different bars and restaurants. We are also going through all the Marvel movies which has been a blast. I don’t think I would have ever done that back home.

Any chance I get to check something new out, I take it. Because why not? You only live once and you’re only 20 once. Might as well make the best of it.

Plus I never got to experience 19 like people do because of the pandemic, so I have an entire year to make up for!

So what are some things I like about Vancouver?

  • The transit obviously
  • The Skytrain
  • All of the concerts, and things you can do throughout the week
  • The large variety of restaurants. I have a huge list of local restaurants to check out!
  • The skyline. So many tall pretty buildings!
  • Downtown. I love the vibe while walking down there.
  • When it is sunny, the mountains are stunning on the water is beautiful blue. But it’s rarely sunny so I never see them.

It is so different from home and to what I’m used to, but I love it. I needed the change of scenery and am glad I made it down here.

Do I want to stay here forever? Probably not. But you never know. 10 years from now, I could be a millionaire and be able to afford a one bedroom condo. But in all seriousness, I am really enjoying my time down here. There are so many things to do every night, lots of places to explore, and it’s forcing me to stop out of comfort zone.

So Vancouver, from this Prince George lover, you’re not that bad and thanks for having me.

A highlight of 2022: joining Wheelin’ Warriors of the North

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It is now known as the Tour de Cure, but formally, it was known as the Ride to Conquer Cancer, and it’s a major fundraising event for the BC Cancer Foundation where participants fundraise throughout the year and at the end of August, they all meet up in the lower mainland and do a big two days ride to celebrate their fundraising efforts and to kick cancer’s butt. Thousands of people participate each year, and hundreds of thousands of dollars are raised from all over the province.

Well, they haven’t been able to do the big ride in 2020 or 2021 because, well, you know *waves arms in the air.*

BUT that hasn’t stopped people from fundraising throughout the pandemic, including my hometown’s Tour de Cure team.

The Wheelin’ Warriors of the North are a force to be reckoned with. Everyone in Prince George knows about them because they have massive events, run the 50/50 at Spruce Kings Games, and always have the coolest jerseys.

They were founded in 2013 by an amazing lady, Karin Piche, in honour of one of her best friends Nola who unfortunately passed away from cancer. She wanted to do something to remember and honour her, and discovered the ride. She hasn’t looked back since.

Hundreds of people have joined the team over the years, AND over 1 million dollars have been raised for the BC Cancer Foundation. It’s pretty cool.

And this year, I became one of the newest members.

It really had to do with riding my bike a lot and one of the team captains following me on Strava and seeing all the riding I had been doing. (Everything leads back to Strava in my life…)

I ran into him one day while I was working and he told me that I should join the team. The Warriors would love to have me.

I told him next year (2022) because it was early-July and I felt like I wouldn’t be ready for the big ride physically, mentally and fundraising wise that was happening in August.

Ha. Psych.

Later on in the month of July, I Funchased one of the team’s group rides and once again, Ron tried to convince me to join. I said next year.

But then I couldn’t stop thinking about joining. I WANTED to join. So why was I making a big deal that I was going to be joining the team extremely late?

I dunno. I overthink things all the time. It’s very unhealthy honestly.

So the following day, I messaged Ron and told him I want to join the team.

He was very excited and then told everyone I was going to do the 160km ride which I never agreed to but he made that information public so I was stuck.

What's this? Is that Sylvia Masich carb loading for an epic bike ride?Yes it is! Please welcome Sylvia as the newest…

Posted by Ron Gallo on Monday, 2 August 2021

What was I getting myself into?

Good question, because I really didn’t know.

I continued to ride my bike throughout the month, missed all the big team training rides because of work, and did my longest bike ride in my life the week before the ride – a whopping 78km. That’s less than half the distance of what I was going to ride the following week.

Again, what was I getting myself into?

I was terrified.

So much was happening. I left my job of two years, I was moving to Vancouver, and I was going to be riding 160km in a day on a bike. That’s a lot of kilometres.

The day before the ride, I sat in my mom’s car for an hour freaking out because I thought I couldn’t do it. I was crazy for doing this. I didn’t think I was going to make it up Jail Hill, which was at the very beginning of the ride, let alone all the way out to Purden Lake and back.

But on August 28th, I got up at like 3:30am after a bit of a night out, and got ready to meet the 160km crew at the BC Cancer Foundation in Prince George.

Posted by Bill Masich on Saturday, 28 August 2021

Sidenote: For the 2021, the Tour de Cure did regional hubs because of COVID-19. Prince George was one of those hubs.

Again. What was I getting myself into.

I really didn’t know.

There were a handful of us doing the 160km ride. Others were doing the 100km and 50km ride, but they started a little later in the day.

In the 160 group, I was the only girl and there was a 12 year old. Yes. A 12 year old was going to be riding 160km. Craziness. I definitely couldn’t do that when I was 12.

We started and the beginning of the ride went really well. Jail Hill also didn’t kill me. I actually kind of killed it.

We met up with the rest of the riders at a local elementary school near the outskirts of town. There, we had the opening ceremonies, got a big team picture, and then we were off.

It takes all of us to fight cancer! Thank you everyone for another EPIC year! Helmets off to Team 2021! An AMAZING $175,982 raised with donations still coming in!www.tourdecure.ca/team/wheelinwarriors

Posted by Wheelin' Warriors of the North on Saturday, 28 August 2021

The big part of the ride was happening. What was I getting myself into…

The 160km group left first, because we had to do a little more to hit our 160km.

Things were going great. I just kept riding. Stay focused on me, and tried to remember to drink water. That kind of failed. I didn’t drink enough water that day. Oops.

And then I caught up to the first 50km rider.

And then the next.

And then the next.

And then I started catching the 100km riders.

It became a bit of a game. And motivation. It was fun.

And I just kept riding. I didn’t stop at the first two pit stops they had set up. I just powered through and vibed to my Taylor Swift Playlist.

I eventually made it to the Purden turn around after a flat tire. I stopped for a bit, chatted, ate some food and then went back.

Out of the 160km crew, I was second, until I got my flat tire. Then a bunch of the guys had passed me.

But the game continued and I caught them all. Except for Ron. He’s a beast.

Sadly, it started to rain on the way back and it got cold, but I kept going. I had Taylor with me, so I was fine.

Unfortunately towards the end, two things happened.

  1. My phone died, so no more Taylor
  2. It was raining like crazy
  3. I missed the turn I was supposed to take to get back to the school so I was on the highway for a longer period of time than I was supposed to. But hey, I got to ride on fresh pavement.

I was worried because I thought I was going to be the last person to show up and I had no way of letting people know. And they wouldn’t have an actual idea where I was because I wasn’t following the route.

Oh I was nervous. I also didn’t have any music to motivate me which was a bit of a bummer. And the headwind got really bad during my last 10km.

But, I made it to the school, and to my surprise, I wasn’t the last one. No one who I had passed on my way back had made it back yet.

Posted by Wheelin' Warriors of the North on Wednesday, 1 September 2021

Nice.

But I did it. I had ridden 160km in a day when I thought that I couldn’t. I was on a high.

I hung out with my parents for about an hour at the finished line before we left. We cheered on al the riders who came through, gave hugs, and chatted with a lot of people. It was great.

I felt amazing. I did something I thought I couldn’t do.

So. Why was it the highlight of 2021?

Well, I made numerous new friends who are on the team. I got 2 really cool cycling jerseys, I helped raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation, and I proved to myself that I can do it, if I put my mind to it.

Truly the best way to end my summer, and I am looking forward to doing this for years to come.

I’m really looking forward to this summer – the Tour de Cure is going to be a big in-person event again, and I cannot wait.

Movement really is medicine – part 2

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Disclaimer: This is part 2 to an article that I wrote in May. If you would like to read that, click here.

During the month of May this year, I made the conscious decision to put time aside in my day to go for walks and runs because I stopped doing that for myself. I was sitting for so long and it was killing me physically and mentally. I forgot that movement is medicine.

So, I took advantage of the Prince George Hospice Colour Walk and made it my goal to run/walk 100km during the month of the May. It started off great until…

Well, if you read the first article you would know but if you didn’t, here’s what happened:

Yes. I sprained my ankle by running into a pothole. It was great. Well, not actually, it hurt a lot. I showed up to work in crutches and my coworkers weren’t surprised.

But while I was stuck on the couch unable to move, I realized how much movement is medicine. I was itching to move but couldn’t put full weight on my right foot.

When I was able to walk without crutches and could put most of my weight on it, I was walking around with shorts and one compression sock on, (it was quite the fashion statement). I had a friend recommend that I should start riding my bike because that didn’t put as much pressure on my ankle, because that was what she was doing with her torn quad.

So that is exactly what I did. Movement is medicine.

I started riding with my Rocky Mountain, Killer and then it was strictly my road bike, Jade. During my bike rides, I would track my activity with the fitness app called Strava. Which became addicting. Very very addicting.

Now here’s the thing.

I was super out of shape. Like the first two times I went for a bike ride, I didn’t go up any hills because I couldn’t do them. I was also terrified to ride up a hill because it had been a few years since I had to ride up a hill… BUT I also discovered this cool thing on Strava called segments. I’ll let the app explain.

“Segments designate specific features or portions of a route – such as a climb, a tricky stretch of trail or part of an open-water swim. Each time you complete a segment, your time is recorded. With a Strava subscription, you can compare it to previous efforts and those of your friends and other athletes.” – Strava

And once I discovered segments, and was slowly starting to put my name on the leaderboard, I was hungry for more. Like I said earlier, I became addicted. And, if you’re on the top of the leaderboard, you either get Queen of the Mountain (QOM) or King of the Mountain (KOM). All of a sudden, I wanted my name on top of every leaderboard.

Go by Bike Week was also starting up at the end of May and I made the decision to sign up because why not. It would be fun to ride to work, right? Also, movement is medicine.

Well yeah, obviously. And then I became hooked on riding my bike to work everyday.

I’m not the type of person to take leisurely, easy rides. I go as hard as I can. One because I just can’t go slow on my bike and two, I usually leave a little late so I have to go even faster to get to work.

During this time of falling back in love with riding my bike, I started to not be scared of going up hills.

Here’s the thing. 14/15 year old Sylvia was pretty strong but she was also extremely weak at the same time. The moment her legs felt pain, she quit. She couldn’t do it. She gave up. She didn’t push through the pain. And she hated going up hills, and would often find an excuse to not go up a hill. It was bad.

Well thankfully, 19 and now 20 year old Sylvia is much stronger than her younger shelf and has fallen IN LOVE with hills.

https://twitter.com/sylviamasich/status/1401772295434104832?s=20

The times referenced above are 3:36 and 3:57. My personal record is now 2:52. I told you I got hungry for QOMs.

Seriously, if someone told 15 year old me that Cowart Hill would be my favourite hill to ride up, I would have thought you were crazy. Me enjoying Cowart? As if.

If you’ve never done the hill, it’s a little deceiving. You don’t actually see the top until you’re at the top. It’s about 600m in length with an elevation grade of 6%. Oh, and there’s a corner during it. It’s a bit of a nasty hill but I love it.

The competitive athlete who had taken a five year hiatus after quitting speed skating was coming back.

Movement is medicine.

Throughout the entire summer, I was riding my bike. To the track, to work, for fun, you name it. Almost every day I was out and about.

It was great. I felt great. Mentally and physically, it was the best I had felt since I was 15. Putting my mental and physical well being was the best thing I could have done this summer. Like I said in my article from May:

Putting yourself isn’t selfish. Taking time for yourself isn’t selfish. You are important and so is your physical and mental well being.

But here’s the thing. I’ve just written this article about how movement is medicine and how great it was to do all of this movement throughout the spring and summer, and as I’m writing this, I’m reflecting on how much movement I’ve done since living in Vancouver.

And shocker. it isn’t a lot. I’ve ridden my bike a total of 4 times, gone on a handful of runs, and I’ve shown up to speed skating practice like 6 times. It’s bad. So this is my reminder, and yours too, that movement is important. And to go out and do something because movement really is medicine.

Also, I 100% recommending downloading Strava. It’s great.